Game #15
Northeastern State (6-8, 0-5 MIAA) at Nebraska-Kearney (5-9, 0-5 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019 at 4 p.m. |  Kearney, Neb. | Health and Sports Center

Game Coverage	goriverhawksgo.com/coverage.aspx
NSU Game Notes	Game Notes
Live Audio	GoRiverHawksGo.com
Live Video	The MIAA Network ($)

Opening Tip 

• Furthest MIAA contest of the season for the RiverHawks.
• NSU is looking to snap a six game road skid in MIAA play.
• Northeastern State has out rebounded teams ten times this season.
• In nine games this season, NSU has went on at-least a 10-0 run against a foe.
• Caleb Smith is leading the RiverHawks in scoring with 14.9 points per game and 3.0 assists per game.
• Tanner Mouse is second in scoring with 13.1 points.
• Aaron Givens has two double-doubles this year and he is sixth in the MIAA with 7.1 rebounds per game.
• Northeastern State is second in the MIAA in field goal defense at 42.6-percent and second in rebound margin at +6.4.

About the Lopers

• Will enter Saturday's contest on a three game skid and winless in their first five MIAA games.
• Lost on Thursday evening to Central Oklahoma, 77-70.
• Last five losses have come inside of seven points.
• 4-3 at home while 0-6 on the road.
• Last in the MIAA in scoring offense and free throw percentage. 
• Led in scoring and rebounding by Kannon Koster who averages 17.6 points and 6.4 boards a game.
• Koster is the lone Loper averaging double-digit scoring.
• Was voted to finish in ninth by the MIAA coaches in their preseason poll.
• Led by head coach Kevin Lofton who his in year 24 at Nebraska-Kearney and is in his fourth season as head coach.

RiverHawks vs. Lopers Series

• Northeastern State trails 11-2 in the overall series.
• Nebraska-Kearney has won the last nine contests in a row.
• Last NSU win over UNK was on Jan. 16, 2014 (90-85) in Tahlequah.

Looking Back

• Fort Hays State outlasted the RiverHawks 69-65 in a game that saw 12 ties and 11 lead changes on Thursday evening. 
• The loss marks the fifth time this season that NSU has lost a game within two possessions.
• Caleb Smith led the RiverHawks with 17 points for his seventh consecutive double-figure game. 
• Tanner Mouse was a point back and two rebounds short of a double-double.  Trent Cantrell added 14 and Bradley George had six points and six assists.
• A late NSU turnover with the game tied at 64 led to the eventual tilt toward Fort Hays where they took the lead for the final time on a dunk.  
• Fifth time this season NSU has shot better than its opponent in a loss.

Inside Men
NSU's post players, Aaron Givens and Josh Ihek are shooting a combined 71.4-percent and accounting for 11.0 rebounds per game.  On the offensive glass the two is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game, and scoring 13.1 points a game.  

4-Year
Tanner Mouse has scored ten or more points in 16 of the last 19 games for the RiverHawks.  The senior is second at NSU with 13.1 points an outing which is nearly double his career average during his first Mouse's three seasons (7.7 ppg)..

Double-Trouble
For the first time since Feb. 10, 2010 at Southwestern Okla., the RiverHawks had two players with a double-double on a box score.  Josh Ihek and Aaron Givens both hit double-doubles on Nov. 27 against Bacone by hitting double-digits in points and rebounds.

Benchmark 
Northeastern State set a new bar with 118 points on Nov. 30, 2018 against Central Christian (Mo.), a mere 72 hours after braking the prior record that has held for five years.

Here is a quick look at the other 100 point games in the Center's 5+ year history...
1. 118 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18) 
2. 107 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
3. 102 vs. Ecclesia (11/9/13)*
4. 101 vs. Hillsdale Free Will Baptist (11/13/13)
* - First game in the complex

Quick Runs
Northeastern State runs of ten or more unanswered points during the 2018-19 season.
10-0 - 3:43 at Missouri Southern (12/8/18)
10-0 - 4:03 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
10-0 - 3:50 vs. Dallas Baptist (11/24/18)*
10-0 - 2:44 vs. Dallas Baptist (11/24/18)#
10-0 - 2:15 vs. Southwestern Oklahoma (11/9/18)
11-0 - 3:59 vs. Oklahoma Baptist (11/19/18)
11-0 - 2:06  at Rogers State (11/14/18)
12-0 - 3:23 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
12-0 - 2:45 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma (11/10/18)#
13-0 - 3:38 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
13-0 - 4:31 vs. Bacone (11/27/18)
15-0 - 8:01 at Missouri S&T (12/17/18)
18-0 - 4:03 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
20-0 - 5:04 vs. Central Christian (11/30/18)
* - Start of the game
# - Spans the half

Up Big
Largest leads of the season for Northeastern State.
58 - 1:28 (2nd Half) vs. Bacone on Nov. 27, 2018
22 - 11:28 (2nd Half) vs. Southwestern Oklahoma on Nov. 9, 2018
21 - 14:46 (2nd Half) vs. Northwestern Oklahoma on Nov. 10, 2018
19 - 1:25 (2nd Half) at Missouri S&T on Dec. 17, 2018
14 - 2:23 (2nd Half) vs. Oklahoma Baptist on Nov. 19, 2018
14 - 00:34 (1st Half) at Rogers State on Nov. 14, 2018
11 - 14:19 (2nd Half) vs. Missouri Western on Jan. 5, 2019
10 - 16:10 (1st Half) vs. Dallas Baptist on Nov. 24, 2018

Our Colors            
Northeastern State's uniform record during the 2018-19 season. 
3-2    Gray
2-1    White
1-4    Green
0-1    Black

An older group
Northeastern State has one freshman on its roster this season with nine juniors, and four seniors.

Former Rangers
Jahmel Bodrick, Michael Bowers, and Caleb Smith all come to Northeastern State from Ranger College (Texas) and played for Former Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie.